Wallace's Line Stag Beetle vs Kaikoura Giant Weta

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Wallace's Line Stag Beetle Kaikoura Giant Weta
Scientific Name Odontolabis latipennis Deinacrida parva
Order Coleoptera Orthoptera
Family Lucanidae Anostostomatidae
Size 40-75 mm 35-50 mm
Habitat Mountains Mountains
Diet Wood Feeders Herbivores
Regions Southeast Asia (Sulawesi, Maluku Islands, Indonesia) Oceania (New Zealand - Kaikoura Range)
Conservation Data Deficient Vulnerable

Wallace's Line Stag Beetle

A large stag beetle with broad, flattened elytra and wide mandibles in males. The body is dark reddish-brown to black with a smooth, polished surface.

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Did You Know?

This species is found near Wallace's Line, the famous biogeographic boundary separating Asian and Australian fauna in the Indonesian archipelago.

Kaikoura Giant Weta

One of the smaller species of giant weta, endemic to the Seaward Kaikoura Range in the South Island of New Zealand. Despite its name, it is only giant relative to most insects. It inhabits alpine herbfields and scrub near the treeline.

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Did You Know?

Despite the species name 'parva' meaning small, this weta still dwarfs most European and North American orthopterans.